Chris Young

Guitar, Bass & Ukulele

GET STARTED
Chris Young

About Chris Young

Chris began playing the guitar at the age of eight, and was influenced by blues and rock greats such as Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Eddie Van Halen. Starting at age 10, Chris started study of classical guitar and 13, won Houston’s “Best Guitarist in Houston Under 18” in the rock category.

While studying jazz in high school for the Visual and Performing Arts, Chris worked professionally as a guitarist, playing locally in clubs and corporate functions. It was also during this time that Chris first began teaching private music lessons at a local music store.

While attending the University of Miami under music scholarship, he performed in the award winning University of Miami Concert Jazz Band and played with jazz greats Wynton Marsalis and Joe Lovano. He also played in several bands and with numerous local artists including Christian R&B artist Neville Peter and Nashville piano-rocker Gabe Dixon.

Upon graduating from college, Chris coached a jazz guitar ensemble of five undergraduate guitarists and a rhythm section at the University of Miami and prepared them for two annual concerts. He also led the jazz guitar program at Miami’s arts magnet high school, “New World School of the Arts” and taught jazz improvisation to a large class of multi-instrumentalists. Chris moonlighted heavily as a wedding guitarist during this time.

In 2000, Chris moved to New York City and soon began playing guitar for neo-soul diva Angie Stone. He toured nationally in support of her album, “Mahogany Soul” and appeared on the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno”, “Live at the Apollo” and BET’s “106th and Park”. During this time he also performed, recorded and/or toured the US and Japan with Interscope Records avant garde R&B artist Bilal Oliver, African pop singer and superstar fusion bassist Richard Bona and Japanese jazz pioneer and saxophonist Sadao Watanabe. Along with balancing performing, songwriting and recording, Chris taught guitar, bass, ukulele and piano privately to a wide variety of students.

After moving to Japan in 2004, Chris performed with numerous bands and artists including Japanese taiko drummer Isaku Kageyama. Their CD, “Hybrid Soul”, a creative collaboration fusing musical elements from Japanese folk songs, psychedelic rock and ambient music was released in 2011. Most recently, Chris performed with chart-topping Japanese rocker and bad boy Eikichi Yazawa for a special live television broadcast on NHK.

Now living in Austin, Texas, Chris can be found performing regularly with ‘Eastern Soul’ artist Nagavalli, originally from Mumbai, whose music intersperses elements of Indian ragas, rock, jazz, electronica, rap and soul.

Today, Chris teaches at the Northwest School of Music for superior drums, piano, voice, violin and guitar lessons in Austin, Cedar Park, Texas.

Start your musical journey today

GET STARTED